Registration will be opened in December 2026
Ten years of PRIDE – ten years of connecting people, sharing ideas, learning from one another, and working together to advance doctoral education across Europe and beyond.
This anniversary is more than a milestone. It is an opportunity to celebrate the people, friendships, collaborations, and shared commitment that have shaped the PRIDE Network over the past decade.
We warmly invite you to join us for a special pre-conference reception in Vienna. Together, we will look back on the journey so far, reconnect with old friends, welcome new colleagues, and raise a glass to the many ideas and initiatives still to come.
We look forward to celebrating this special occasion with you – because PRIDE has always been, above all, about its people.
The programme for the PRIDE Conference 2027 is currently being finalised. Speakers and session contributors will be announced as soon as they are confirmed. We invite you to check this page regularly for updates and further details.
Once you’re signed up, grab a coffee and start exchanging ideas with your peers. It’s a perfect way to kick off your experience and connect with fellow attendees.
Celebrating ten years of PRIDE offers an opportunity to reflect on how doctoral education has evolved, the challenges we have addressed, and the progress we have made as a professional community. Which developments have shaped our work? What have we achieved, and what remains to be done?
Session Chair: Lucas Zinner
Doctoral education has undergone significant transformation over recent decades, shaped by expansion, diversification, internationalisation, and evolving institutional and societal expectations. Yet many of its foundational principles, including the understanding of doctoral education as training through original research, have remained remarkably consistent. Against a backdrop of increasing uncertainty and rapid change, this session takes a global perspective on the state and future of doctoral education.
Followed by a panel discussion
Facilitator: Ilaria Orsi
The World Café offers an informal and interactive opportunity to discover the activities, achievements, and ongoing initiatives of PRIDE’s Working Groups. Through a dynamic setting, participants are invited to explore different topics, exchange experiences and ideas, and engage directly with Working Group members.
Session Chair: Melita Kovacevic
The way research is conducted is undergoing profound change. Artificial intelligence, digital technologies, interdisciplinary collaboration, and new, rapidly evolving approaches to knowledge generation are reshaping research practices across all disciplines. And in many cases, we are only at the beginning of these developments.
This session will explore how the changing nature of research challenges traditional models of doctoral training and what it means for the future development of researchers.
All attendees are warmly invited to use this break to stretch their legs and connect with colleagues. Take a moment to refresh, grab a coffee, and recharge before we continue with the session on roles and responsibilities.
Confirmed speakers: Sabine Hunke (Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin), Erkki Raulo (University of Helsinki), Raphaël Porcher (Université Paris Cité); Session Chair: Lucas Zinner
Who holds responsibility for preparing researchers for diverse and sustainable careers—and where do those responsibilities begin and end? We examine the evolving role of universities while acknowledging the essential agency of researchers themselves in shaping their trajectories. We will explore what institutions can and should do, how supervisors, doctoral schools, career services and funding bodies share obligations, and where expectations may be unrealistic. By taking a holistic view, we aim to clarify not only institutional potential and limits, but also how empowered researchers and supportive structures together create meaningful career development.
Session Chair: Mathias Schroijen
Doctoral education is expected to demonstrate its value beyond academia. Governments, institutions, employers, and society are asking how doctoral research and doctorate holders contribute to addressing societal challenges, advancing knowledge, and driving innovation. What makes a doctorate relevant today? How can doctoral researchers develop a sense of purpose and agency while navigating uncertain career prospects?
This session invites participants to critically examine how we define, communicate, and sustain the value of doctoral education in a rapidly changing world.
Session Chair: Lucas Zinner
Join PRIDE’s General Assembly for a crisp 30-minute tour of what we’ve achieved since the last conference and what’s coming next. We’ll share key activities, upcoming priorities and opportunities for members to get involved. We’ll also give a clear, transparent financial update—so everyone leaves informed and aligned. The approval of the budget is the responsibility of the General Assembly. The GA serves as a platform for members to express their opinions, exchange news and views, and jointly shape the future direction of the association.
Whether you’re looking to discuss the day’s sessions or simply enjoy eating and drinking with new friends, this is the perfect opportunity.
We reflect on the highlights and key takeaways from yesterday’s discussions. This recap will set the stage for today’s activities, ensuring everyone is aligned and energized for another day of presentations, discussions and networking.
Session Chair: João Pedro Pêgo
International recruitment, mobility, and cross-border research collaboration have expanded opportunities and strengthened the global exchange of knowledge. However geopolitical tensions pose challenges to established approaches to internationalization and the practice of open collaboration.
This session will explore how doctoral education can continue to evolve without losing sight of academic freedom, mutual understanding, and international collaboration.
Let’s capture the PRIDE community together in a group photo! Afterwards, stretch your legs, enjoy a coffee or tea, reconnect with familiar faces, meet new colleagues, and recharge before we move into the next session.
Session Chair: Madeleine Harbich
As doctoral education evolves, also the roles and responsibilities of the professionals who support, manage, and shape it. What was once often perceived primarily as an administrative function has increasingly developed into a field of professional expertise.
Reflecting on ten years of PRIDE, this session will look towards the next decade, exploring how professional communities can foster innovation, strengthen collective expertise, and contribute to shaping doctoral education in turbulent times.
After one and a half days of exploring the challenges, uncertainties, and transformations facing doctoral education, this closing session brings together the key insights and questions emerging from the conference.
Looking beyond the conference, we will reflect on our collective responsibilities and opportunities to shape doctoral education in turbulent times.
After one and a half days of exploring the challenges, uncertainties, and transformations facing doctoral education, this closing session brings together the key insights and questions emerging from the conference.
Looking beyond the conference, we will reflect on our collective responsibilities and opportunities to shape doctoral education in turbulent times.
At the end of the conference, we would like to invite you to join us for a final networking session with a farewell drink.
The afternoon will be dedicated to meetings of the PRIDE Working Groups, offering an opportunity for members to come together, exchange ideas, share experiences, and advance their joint initiatives. These meetings provide a space for collaboration, reflection, and shaping the future activities of the PRIDE Network.
Participation is free of charge. Further details on the individual working group meetings, including topics and organisational arrangements, will be announced at a later stage.
Founded in 1365, the University of Vienna is the oldest and largest university in the German speaking world.
The conference takes place in the Van Swieten Hall, Van-Swieten-Gasse 1a, 1090 Wien
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We have received your application and will contact you with payment information in due time.
Applications will be approved on a first-come, first-served basis. The application is only completed when you have received the final confirmation by email after your payment.